Seattle Family Volunteers Holiday Time to Help Dog Fighting Victims

At ASPCA Parents, our goal is to help families raise the next generation of animal lovers. So when we heard about the Benedetto family, who spent Christmas assisting in the aftermath of a massive tri-state dog fighting ring, we couldn’t wait to share their story. We tracked down this inspiring family to find out just what motivated them to spend their holidays with the ASPCA.

Elizabeth and Juan Carlos Benedetto live in Seattle, Washington with their two children, Gabriel and Tatiana. Elizabeth and Juan run two adult living facilities, and both kids are in medical school. Despite their busy lives, they’ve always made it a priority to do good, and to do it together. When they heard about an opportunity to help dog fighting victims, they all agreed to head to our temporary shelter right away.

“We have a love of animals deep in our heart,” says Elizabeth. “It’s really important for us to help out animals in need, but also to stick together as a family.”

The Benedettos are trained in Search & Rescue. In the last year alone, they deployed four times through WASART (Washington State Animal Response Team) to rescue dogs and horses. Though she says she hasn’t had a real vacation in more than 20 years, Elizabeth considers this time with her family to be the greatest reward of all.

“We want to show the kids how important it is to be a part of the need that’s out there and to be a part of the community,” she says. “If your kids are old enough to do these things, they should do them. The more you expose your kids to good, the better our world will be.”